Former Miss Bolton jailed for drink-driving hit and run

A FORMER Miss Bolton has been jailed after she ran over a pedestrian as she drove home drunk from her work Christmas party.

Beauty queen Kristina Long, who left the man with "life changing injuries", did not stop at the scene, instead driving a further 21 miles home, just after midnight on December 15, 2012.

Witnesses rushed to the aid of the 51-year-old, who was left with a broken neck and leg, a pelvic fracture and bleeding in the brain in the incident, which happened in The Crescent, Salford, a 20mph zone.

The 26-year-old, who worked for legal firm Keogh's, had earlier been at her office Christmas party at The Reebok, and was dropping friends home in her Vauxhall Corsa before the crash.

She had agreed to drive her friend, Andrea Jackson, and two other men into Manchester.

The court heard that she was being distracted by Miss Jackson being sick at the time of the accident, when she was driving at more than 30mph.

A relative called the police on Long's behalf shortly after she arrived home. She lived in Bolton at the time.

She was breathalysed, nearly two hours after the crash, and was still over the limit.

Her victim, 53-year-old David Robinson, a museum technician from Salford, needed weeks of hospital treatment and the effects of his injuries could be permanent.

She lived in Farnworth for more than five years, later moving to Altrincham, and told The Bolton News she took part in beauty contests in the hope of getting into television or the media after her degree.

She also held a charity event in Bolton to raise money for Fortalice, the women’s refuge in Farnworth.

Long, now of Copper Moss Lane, Altrincham, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing serious injury, failing to stop at the scene of a collision and driving with excess alcohol.

She was jailed for 12 months at Manchester Crown Court, and was also banned from driving for two years and ordered to take an extended test.